County Reviews WCSO Shooting Range Options, Role of Deactivated Farms Advisory Committee, Leaking Library Roof

At a work session at 6 p.m. Tuesday, September 10, the Warren County Board of Supervisors reviewed several matters of coming concern. High on that six-item list were: first, a review of the top five possible county locations for the proposed Warren County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) Training/Shooting range; a refresher on the role of the board-created Shenandoah Farms Sanitary District Advisory Committee, which the supervisors deactivated about two years ago (begins :25 linked video mark); and costs and fiscal responsibility for those costs of needed repairs to the leaking Samuels Public Library roof (7:13 video mark). The latter matter will be a topic of a County Building Committee Meeting this week, which Library staff are now members of.

Two other items related to personnel issues with employee retention, compensation, and classification aspects were presented by Deputy County Administrator Jane Meadows and Human Resources Manager Kayla Darr, first: “Determination of Worker Suitability for Interacting with Minors” (20:40 video mark), and second, “Enhanced Benefits for Hazardous Duty Positions” (26:05 video mark).

Deputy County Administrator Jane Meadows and Human Resources Manager Kayla Darr handled the presentation of staff re-classification and compensation variables related to hazardous duty, contact with children, and hopefully improved employee retention after training. Royal Examiner Photos Roger Bianchini

The other agenda item was a Planning Department presentation on the County’s responsibility for categorizing what is essentially a functioning driveway to a property upon which a third structure is being constructed, as a named lane with addressed structures (41:38 video mark).

About that WCSO Training/Shooting Range

Starting with what has been a high neighboring residential property owner concern over the proposed Bentonville Transfer Station area location for a County Sheriff’s Office Training/Shooting range, Sheriff’s Office Deputy Jay Roy presented his department’s review of what was categorized as the top five potential county locations, seen in the below graphic. The presentation, the meeting’s final agenda item, is introduced at the 57:17 mark of the linked County video.

In prefacing his presentation, Deputy Roy noted that the department’s Conditional Use Permit application was temporarily on hold at the Planning Commission level, as comments from DEQ, County Public Works, and the Health Department among others, were awaited. He told the board he anticipated the CUP review would be back on the Planning Commission Action Agenda by October, when a recommendation of approval or denial will be made to the supervisors.

WCSO Deputy Jay Roy describes information in the below graphic summary of what are considered the top 5 considered sites for location of the proposed Sheriff’s Office Training/Shooting Range.

In addition to the proposed Bentonville site in the vicinity of the County solid waste Transfer Station, considered sites presented to the board included Catlett Mountain, ESA (Environmental Study Area) Lane, RSW Regional Jail site, and Rockland Park Road.

As one will see, the proposed Bentonville site holds the highest rank (6) for viability related to six categories, including Safety, Low Cost, Lowest Number of Impacted Residences, Adequate Size, Environmental Impacts, Noise, and Accessibility. Viability rankings following Bentonville’s 6, were Catlett Mountain (4.5), and ESA Lane, RSW Jail, and Rockland Park Road, all with rankings of 3.

It was noted during the discussion that sharing the existing Front Royal Town Police training site in the Harmony Hollow area wasn’t a viable option as the site is ranked as too small to fully accommodate FRPD staff alone.

Following board discussion and questions about what they were presented with, Chairman Cullers observed, “We’re not going to get out of Not In My Back Yard,” reactions, wherever is finally selected as the site to proceed with.

And as part of its most viable ranking of the presented options, the Bentonville site has the fewest residential “backyards” to deal with at “62 Addresses Impacted: mostly residential”. That compares to the other sites, in turn at:

Catlett Mountain, 852 Addresses Impacted: mostly residential;

ESA Lane, 663 Addresses Impacted: mix of residential and business;

RSW Regional Jail, 330 Addresses Impacted: mix of industrial and residential;

Rockland Park Road, 329 Addresses Impacted: High pedestrian use nearby.

And while there are generally no public comments at work sessions, at least one concerned Bentonville neighboring property owner was present to hear the discussion sporting his opposition T-shirt.

We know how at least one of these citizens feels about the proposed Bentonville Transfer Station area WCSO Training/Shooting Range site. Below, Sheriff Cline, seated far left, and F&R Chief Bonzano, standing orange folder in hand at door to right, with a number of their first responder staffs present for various portions of the work session agenda.

Deputy Roy, and Sheriff Crystal Cline, who was present with a number of deputies and emergency service staffers gathered for one or the other of the departmental personnel issues on the agenda, were requested to provide some additional detail on viable options and related questions board members posed following the presentation.

However, board Vice-Chairman “Jay” Butler observed (1:27:42 video mark) that the type of detail provided that evening, bouyed by perhaps additional supporting information, may not convert neighboring residential property-owner opponents, but illustrates how and why the decision on a site was reached. Following Supervisor Vicky Cook’s comment about data in support of a conclusion also being included, Deputy County Administrator Jane Meadows noted that the initial presentation to the Planning Commission had included such detail. She suggested a scheduled Sheriff’s Office presentation to the supervisors at an October work session include some of that additional detail.

“I can provide a lot more detail,” Deputy Roy offered to which Supervisor Richard Jamieson commented of the evening’s presentation, “To be clear, I think this evidences a lot of structure. So, that’s good. But I haven’t seen the end of it. I generally like to see the process.”

Of the need for that added level of process and detail, Jamieson acknowledged the level of importance of the board’s final decision to the community as a whole, and most specifically to those who would be impacted by the choice of location. “So, there’s no rush,” Jamieson added of assembling a final, pre-vote presentation from the Sheriff’s Office.

Back to camera, Supervisor Richard Jamieson with, from left, WCSO Deputy Jay Roy, Sheriff Crystal Cline, and a partially obscured Planning Director Matt Wendling, exchanges information after the work session.

“I agree. I’m not in a rush myself,” Roy responded of his perspective on providing answers to all the questions of, not only the supervisors, but also potentially impacted residents, adding, “I do not mind going back in and providing more details. This is not a problem.”

After some additional discussion on precise costs of various developmental needs at different sites, Chairman Cullers observed, “So, I guess we will revisit this with some additional information,” to which Deputy Roy told the chair and her board, “I’ll bring as much as I can for you.”

“We appreciate all the work you’re doing on this,” Vice-Chairman Butler replied, followed by Chairman Cullers observation, “We want the community to know we’ve done everything we can to put it in the least place of conflict …”

Click here to watch this presentation and subsequent board discussion, and all other meeting topics.